I have long found myself in a state of frustration, stemming from a love-hate relationship with short-form story telling. Be they short-stories or film shorts, I find it this method of story very appealing. It is concise, often ambiguous and just the right length that one sitting satisfies the needs of a beginning a middle and end. This is why i love them.
The reason that I hate them is the hackneyed methods by which many are written, expecting us to think they are deep, or original. By the end of college I decided that if i was ever forced to read one more story in which the 'big twist' or the 'shocking ending' was that someone committed suicide, I would be dropping out of school. Perhaps that was a hyperbolic empty threat, but hyperbole is acceptable when used as means of conveying a point. I just decided that.
I think I contracted this love of the short-from narrative from my father, a man who earned his PhD. by substituting short stories as the text to encourage theological discussions in a small group setting. Genius. The man even writes short stories, and frankly, he has a gift for it.
It is because of this and my large Polish-Catholic maternal family's tendency to sit around a dinner table covered in the remnants of Pierogies and Polish Sausage and mashed potatoes, drinking beer and scotch, and trading stories their upbringing... it is because of this, that I have this that I have this love of stories that can be absorbed in a short period of time.
Being involved in film that way that I am, I continually seek out new and well-produced pieces to take in. This is one of the best I have seen in quite some time.
The film even deals with that trite subject of imminent death and the way it can change someone and his outlook on life, but it does in the most refreshing of ways. The Bucket List was a fine film, making poignant comments about what it means to be truly wealthy, and that was fine... but we have seen that before.
What "Our Time is Up" does is to use that imminent mortality as a means of allowing someone to shed that which has been hindering him and to actually help others in the way he has always wanted. The mortality issue is never actually directly addressed; rather, it is necessary mode of change that allows the narrative to take us on the journey with the characters.
While skipping around the chance to give away the ending, allow me to say this: It ends in a satisfying way. It is not some major climax of revelation, or a complete tear-jerker, but it does paints a picture of hopefulness and bettering of the world.. however small that may be. I would encourage anyone with 10 minutes to spare, to find five more and watch this 15 minute short.
It is well worth your time. Now, ours seems to be up.
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